In order to form an electronic device having a waterproof opening, a seal may be directly secured to the waterproof opening. However, in some cases, the seal is formed from a delicate material that is prone to damage or deformation during manufacture of the electronic device. As a result, the seal may fail during reliability testing of the electronic device, or during use by a user of the electronic device, causing water to flow into the electronic device. This may lead to damage of one or more internal components of the electronic device.
In addition, a damaged or deformed seal may reduce the performance of the electronic device. For example, a seal mounted to an enclosure opening may be designed to prevent water passage to a microphone. However, the seal, even when deformed, may distort or block sound passing through the enclosure opening such that the microphone cannot properly covert acoustical energy into an audio signal.